Protect your children's health

So like millions of others, you've heard the warnings that you should quit smoking. It damages your health. It makes you look older than your years. It's a waste of money. On and on.

But if you don't quit smoking for yourself, maybe you will decide to quit smoking for your children. The sooner you quit smoking, the sooner you will have a more positive effect on their health.

Better overall health

If you quit smoking, your children may obtain a better lung function as a result. There will be less smoke and other air irritants in your home and car to interfere with their young lungs' breathing.

Their skin and hair will also improve in looks and performance since there will be less smoking-related irritants in your home and car, less smoking-related contaminants landing on their skin and hair.

If you quit smoking, your children may have lower blood pressure (they'll be inhaling less secondhand smoke, which makes their hearts work harder) and better lung capacity (as their bodies heal from exposure to the secondhand smoke).

They'll also begin performing better at physical activity as their exposure to secondhand smoke decreases. If you quit smoking, you'll also reduce the chances of their becoming hooked on the secondhand smoke growing up, leading them straight to a smoking habit of their own as adults.

Set a good example

Sure, you say that you don't need to quit smoking, that it hasn't had a major effect on your health. But are you being real with yourself? What would happen if you tried to run around the block? Race up the stairs as quickly as you could? How about that phlegmmy cough? Yeah, though so.

While these health things may be minor to you, how old were you when you started smoking? A teenager? And your children are small? See that, you're setting them up for the same health issues you've got now. The only difference is, you were old enough to make a decision when you started smoking.

They're too little to make this decision. Just do them a favor and quit smoking. Set a good example and show them that a person's willpower is a powerful thing, that you've decided to quit smoking and you're going to do it, end of discussion. They'll be so proud. Plus they'll know that they can do it too.

So you've heard all the quit smoking warnings yourself and you just don't care. Fair enough. Just start thinking about your children though. They might care that you didn't quit smoking as they get older and their secondhand smoke exposure opens them up to health risks and complications that are totally avoidable.

Or they might not. They might understand that you chose not to quit smoking because you didn't want to and to heck with them. Yeah, it might play out that way. Or it might not.

You might find yourself apologizing profusely to your sick kid someday. And to think you may have been able to prevent that if only you'd quit smoking.

comments powered by Disqus